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Monday, March 4, 2019

How To Attend The Ellen DeGeneres Mother's Day Show

So you're interested in attending the Ellen DeGeneres Mother's Day show? Or you may already have tickets and want to know what to expect the day of? You have come to the right place! I will be sharing the inside scoop, tips, the entire process and what to expect the day of. I hope it will help you too! There are a lot more steps to complete to attend the Mother's Day show, than attending a normal Ellen Degeneres Show taping so be prepared and check your e-mails often because you will be sending back a lot of questionnaires.

How To Attend a Taping of The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Usually,
a few weeks up to a month in a half in advance, you will want to try to
request tickets for the show. You can do so by visiting Ellen's website here. About a month before Mother's Day (which is May in case your pregnancy brain is kicking in) you will want to request tickets, because the Mother's day show is a specialty show, they do have some requirements that are different than attending any other taping, and they will ask you for a story. If you have an address you can use that is local to the studios, in California (such as a family member), I suggest you use that address when you sign up. Also,

Make sure to include a story on how you and your husband (or significant other) met, how long you've been together, when you found out you were expecting, your due date, your reactions and any and all details you can. The more details, the better. Let them know how excited you and your significant other is.

If your husband is in the military, you will have an increased chance of getting on the show as Ellen loves the military. They will call you and ask you questions about your significant others military status. They will double check to make sure you are not fibbing!

I had to include a few photos on the initial ticket request, so I used this photo: (Not the best lighting, but we were dressed up so I wanted to include it. )

They will ask for your social media accounts (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook), so make sure to post photos throughout your pregnancy. This will help your chances of getting picked, because they want to make sure you are a REAL first time expectant mother. Also, make sure to make those accounts public so they can view them easily. **Another tip I have is, send in your request on a weekday at night. I know this may sound strange, but my friend had signed up in the morning/afternoon while I signed up around 10pm and I received an email back within 3 days. (My email came in at 7:45 PM.) So this means whatever staff they have going through submissions is working mostly at night.

The Process

I sent my submission on Tuesday April 4, 2017 around 10PM, and received an email back from the Ellen Audience Special on Friday, April 7, 2017 at 7:50 PM. Here is the email I received:

To confirm my attendance, I had to send back a few answers to the questions sent. Within a few days I received an additional email confirming my guaranteed ticket! This is the email response I received:May 10, 2017 3:57 PM

Hello,

Great! You are confirmed with 1 Guaranteed ticket for Ellen's Mothers Day Special. The show will be on Wednesday, May 10th.

The show is at 3:30pm, and you will need to arrive no later than 1:30pm.

In addition, we are asking for all audience members to provide a photo copy of their most recent sonogram at check in.

We will send a packet of information to you with all the details. You should receive it via email 1 week prior to your show.

I will also send you a survey via email by the end of this week. Please fill it out and send it back to me ASAP.

Feel free to email me if you have any questions in the meantime. Thank you and we look forward to your attendance! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I had to submit a little survey via email by April 13th and had to include a current photo of myself. This is the survey I received:

It wasn't until May 3rd (at 10:02 PM -- see I told you they work at night) that I received my guaranteed ticket and parking information:

Hello!

You are confirmed with 1 guaranteed ticket for Ellen's Mother’s Day Show on 5/10/17.All of the information you will need to
come see the show is attached as a word document titled, "Ellen Tickets
­-MDS- Guaranteed 2017.pdf”. Make sure you read this document in detail
and print it out to bring to the show as
your ticket. If you have any cancellations or questions please feel
free to respond to this email.

PLEASE NOTE

We don’t want to get your hopes up, but occasionally our Mother’s Day Show prizes are huge!

So, we recommend bringing the biggest car you have available, got an SUV? Bring it!

Got a friend with a school bus? That’ll do!

**Please note, you must supply a photocopy of your most recent sonogram at check in on the day of the show.**

We recommend bringing the biggest car you have available. Please do
not car pool. Also, please have your car completely cleared out and the
seats put down in preparation prior to your arrival

You must supply a photocopy of your most recent sonogram at check in tomorrow

PLEASE BRING A PEN WITH YOU

Lastly, don’t forget your dancing shoes!!

The Day of Experience

Because my friend was selected to go to the show as well, we both met at my aunts house who just happens to live down the street from Warner Brother studios. (Convenient, right?)

I had my friend meet me around 11am so we could grab lunch before as I knew it would be a long day. Plus, pregnant ladies need to eat! We knew we had to check-in by 1:30, so we wanted to make sure we had enough time to wait in line.We parked, double checked where we needed to meet, and walked to a cute little Italian restaurant called Ciao Cristina. (Which I totally recommend, it was delicious! And they have great lunch specials-- PLUS it's walking distance.) They did have a food cart this day to make food purchases, since you have to wait a few hours before heading into the studios. If you don't want to dine out, you can always bring some snacks too!

After
lunch we got in line and checked in. The process took a little bit and there was a lot of waiting around, but luckily they do have benches to sit down at. We
got picked to be interviewed, but didn't get chosen, I'm still not sure
what it was for because they never did anything with the girls who got
picked, but it seems they were looking for something specific. We waited for them to call our numbers so we could cross the street into
the studio.

Once we were across the street, it was a pretty quick process. We went through a security line and they took us through the Ellen shop. Because this was a specialty taping, they had food set out for all the Mother-to-be's. I unfortunately did not snap a photo of the food. Sorry ya'll!

Once
we got into the theater they had some ladies pick where we would sit. (Middle, 7th row back!)
I have no idea how they decide the seating arrangements, but I am assuming they choose the really pregnant ladies to sit in the front. They also make sure that your outfit won't clash with the people sitting next to you. Keep that in mind when choosing and outfit! My friend and I asked if we could sit next to each other, and they let us. Once everyone got in their seats, they got all the ladies amped up for the show. They did some pregnancy dancing with the
ladies (Which was hilarious), and had a few dance contests. It was really fun!

Once the show began, Ellen started off with some gifts, and
moved on to introduce the pickle guy, a sexy "Dr." with a delivery room,
and an actual EMT in case anyone went into labor (There were TWO girls who were due within days of the show!)
The guests of the show I attended were Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn. They were SO
funny together! If you missed the episode, they have clips of the prizes on Youtube. (I literally watched EVERY Mother's Day episode Ellen has had).

I also have clips of the show I attended on my Pinterest page. We were so lucky to receive so many wonderful gifts from our attendance at the Ellen's Mother's Day show. Here is what we were given:

3-Day, 2-Night Stay at the Miramonte Indian Wells Resort and Spa in Palm Springs

$600 Essentia LaLa Crib Mattress

Kate Spade Baby Bag

Most of the gifts were given the day of. After the show ended, they handed us all packets with information. We did have to fill out a tax form, but were told they do not report it. You do not have to "claim" it on your taxes either. They let us know that it's our choice whether or not we wanted to report it. Once they explained everything to us and gave us most of our gifts, we had to cross the street back to our vehicles to receive a few of our larger prizes. (Such as the stroller, car seat, high chair, Amazon Echo, and Diaper bag.)

The process was pretty easy, basically they gave us a sheet of paper to hand to the workers while exiting the parking structure, and they had a crew of people put them in our truck. We were able to stay in the car the entire time. The only problem with exiting the structure was that everyone was leaving at the same time, so there was a huge line of cars waiting to receive their gifts. Luckily, we were able to get out pretty quick and didn't have to wait too long. (Helpful tip is to exit in the other direction. They will have two-three areas where you pickup your gifts.)

We did have to order the Crib and Crib Mattress as well as make our own arrangements for the 3-Day, 2-Night Stay vacation. The process to order the additional gifts was very easy. You either send an e-mail out or call a number.

We probably didn't get out of the parking structure till closer to 6pm. Of course I was starving and we were near my favorite restaurant- The Smokehouse. (Which I totally recommend if you go to the show, this is a must have for me whenever I am in the area. The cheese bread is to die for! And everything on the menu is delicious)

What To Wear

The attire is dress casual. You will want to look cute, because you may be seen on TV! Most of the women wore dresses, light coverups, and sandals or wedges.

Some TIPS for the Day Of

Bring a light sweater, it does get chilly inside and it's better to have one just in case.

Pack
some snacks in case you get hungry-- this is the one show a year that
you are allowed to eat in your seats! (IE: Apples, grapes, crackers)

Bring water (You are pregnant, and you will need to stay hydrated!)

Bring a pen (To fill out forms in the beginning and sign forms at the end-- It's just easier than waiting to borrow someone else's after they fill out their forms.

You will be able to leave your seat to use the restroom, so don't worry about bathroom breaks! They also have restrooms in the waiting area at check-in as well as before the show.

Wear comfortable shoes. You won't be walking far, but you want to be comfortable as it is a long day. Expect to be there from 12PM-6PM.

Hopefully this super long list helps you out if you are trying to go to the show, or if you were selected, I hope all the details help you! If you have any other questions please feel free to ask in the comments section. ALSO, If you have attended the Mothers Day Show Before, tell me about your experience in the comments!